Frank may yet be having a ball

Frank Graham had been left disappointed after he won a Coca Cola Rugby World Cup competition and was later told he wouldn’t receive the prize of a Rugby World Cup 2015 Coca-Cola Gilbert Rugby Ball as the competition was for the mainland only.

However, after being contacted by the Ulster Star, the soft-drinks company have renewed hope that he will get his prize after all.

“As a gesture of goodwill, we have offered all customers affected by this issue an alternative prize,” they said. “Further to that, we are currently attempting to source a promotional rugby ball for them from Coca-Cola GB.”

Frank, who was planning to give his prize to his grandson, contacted the Star to explain his situation.

“I bought a case of Coke, which had a winning card to which I had to go online to register my number, name, and email address, and they in turn sent me an e-mail to say I had won, but from there it all went pear shaped,” he said.

“I’ve had no contact, no ball, and after three weeks I contacted customer services three times, after the third time I was told that the competition was only open to the mainland.

“So why have a competition that gives a winning card in NI?

“And they will not honour it?” Frank asked.

Now, however, they might as the company apologised for his disappointment.

“Promotional packs can, on occasion, spill over to Northern Ireland from Great Britain through retailers who operate across both markets,” they said. “We understand that this can result in a frustrating customer experience and we work with our retail partners to try to prevent this from happening.

“Such promotional packs are not intended for sale in Northern Ireland or Ireland. We regret the inconvenience and disappointment experienced by the customer, however the Terms & Conditions are clearly called out on the promotional pack.”

The local man had originally been sent an email from Coca Cola, which said: “Congratulations! You’ve won an Exclusive Rugby World Cup 2015 Coca-Cola Gilbert Rugby Ball – one of up to one million available this summer. Get ready for hours of spin passes, drop kicks and conversions.”

Now, perhaps, he (and his grandson) will be be able to pick up their prize and be converted to Coca Cola fans once more.